"Europe’s green objectives can only be achieved if local and regional authorities are given the tools, funding and flexibility needed to deliver them on the ground." were the remarks of Borboly Csaba, Vice-President of Harghita County Council and EPP-CoR shadow rapporteur on the opinion Environmental Implementation Review – implementation and simplification of EU environmental policies.
“Where wildlife conflicts drive land abandonment, we lose the very farmers whose presence maintains the grasslands and meadows Europe wants to protect. That is not a paradox we can afford to ignore,” he said. Borboly Csaba also drew attention to the specific challenges faced by rural and mountainous regions, where biodiversity objectives must be reconciled with the safety, livelihoods and long-term presence of local communities.
Referring to the case of Romania, Borboly Csaba recalled that a nationwide genetics-based scientific study on the brown bear population estimated more than 12,000 bears, compared to around 4,000 reported at the time of Romania’s EU accession. He invited the European Commission to assess what conclusions should be drawn from such documented cases of overpopulation for the future implementation of EU nature legislation.
“Europe’s environmental objectives will succeed only if implementation is practical, fair and place-based. Regions and local authorities are ready to deliver, but they need European policies that recognise their realities and support them with the necessary resources,” concluded Borboly Csaba.
The debate also addressed the need for better coherence between EU environmental rules. Åsa Ågren Wikström, County Councillor of Västerbotten Region and former rapporteur on the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, welcomed the opinion’s call for stronger regulatory convergence between the Water Framework Directive and the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.
She stressed that greater coherence between water-related legislation is essential to improve environmental outcomes, public health and citizens’ well-being. She also highlighted the importance of addressing micropollutants at source, rather than relying only on end-of-pipe solutions. “Pollution must be addressed at source. Effective monitoring of micropollutants is essential if we want to reduce the implementation gap and protect citizens and the environment,” said Åsa Ågren Wikström.
For the EPP-CoR, simplification must not mean lowering environmental ambition. It must mean making EU rules more coherent, more workable and more responsive to the realities faced by cities, regions and local communities.
Thibaut Guignard, Mayor of Plœuc-l'Hermitage, stressed that environmental policy must be built with local territories, not imposed against them. Speaking as a local elected representative from an agricultural and rural municipality, he rejected the idea that Europe must choose between economic development and environmental protection.
“The green transition will only succeed if it is implemented with territories, not against them,” said Thibaut Guignard. “Our farmers, businesses, craftspeople and local authorities need a strong economy, but they also need a protected environment, high-quality water, healthy soils and preserved nature.”
For Guignard, the challenge is to strike the right balance: simplifying procedures and reducing unnecessary administrative burdens, while maintaining Europe’s environmental objectives: “Simplification, yes; weakening our environmental ambition, no,” he said. “When rules become incomprehensible or impossible to apply, it is often small rural municipalities that pay the price.”
“In our territories, ecology is not a constraint. It is a tool. Preserving soil quality, improving water quality, supporting biodiversity, protecting crops and livestock, storing carbon and strengthening farms’ resilience to climate risks all contribute to the economic strength of our territories.” added Guignard.